Woman Al Qaeda operative arrested by Gujarat ATS in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested an alleged female Al Qaeda operative in Bengaluru, police sources said on Wednesday.

Following the development, the authorities in Bengaluru have heightened intelligence vigilance across the city.

The arrested individual has been identified as 33-year-old Shama Parveen, a native of Jharkhand. According to police, the ATS investigation revealed her alleged role in strengthening the Al Qaeda network in Bengaluru. She had been residing in the Manorayanapalya locality of the city.

The arrest was made on Tuesday during a joint operation by the Gujarat ATS and local police. The sleuths also seized digital equipment, a laptop and mobile phones from the accused.

Police sources said Shama Parveen is a graduate who came to Bengaluru three years ago and was living with her brother, a software engineer.

She is alleged to have worked for Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and openly supported the group's ideology on social media platforms, including Instagram. Police stated that she had shared videos of a key Al Qaeda operative and encouraged youth to take up terrorism.

The Gujarat ATS had earlier arrested four Al Qaeda operatives, and during the investigation, they found links between these individuals and Shama Parveen. Based on the evidence, the ATS team travelled to Karnataka and arrested her. She was produced before a court and taken to Gujarat after obtaining a transit warrant, police sources confirmed.